Another offering by Nicholas Sparks, “The Last Song” stars Miley Cyrus as a teen girl who, along with her younger brother, is sent to live with her estranged father (played by Greg Kinnear) for the summer. And now, for the cliches: Cyrus has a huge attitude because she hates her father for divorcing her mom; Kinnear is the nice, protective father who is desperate to reconnect with his daughter…and he has a secret that will alter the lives of his children forever; the son is a smart-ass who is insightful for his age; Cyrus, despite her anger issues and raggedy looks, will attract the local, young stud (played by Liam Hemsworth); Hemsworth turns out to be more than a pretty face — he is a guy with a heart of gold, and he is looking for “the one”; Cyrus can’t stand Hemsworth — or so she pretends — then starts to like him…then hates him again for withholding a secret from her that affects her father (who she used to hate but now kind of likes)…then likes Hemsworth again because she forgives him and she really really likes him and…well, you get the idea.

The worst things about “The Last Song” are the numerous cliches mentioned above, Cyrus’ lack of serious acting skills, the lack of onscreen chemistry between Cyrus/Hemsworth, and the forced, goofball scenes that are supposed to make the audience go ga-ga for these two young lovers. The “meet cute” part isn’t cute at all, it is corny as hell and made me cringe that someone could write something so bad for a Hollywood movie. Then there is the actor who plays the young son: his constant, constipation face is both funny and annoying. Add the tears and the snot during the dramatic moments and it’s just all too much.

Saving this movie from a much lower grade is Kinnear’s very good acting. It’s natural, subtle in most cases, and very believable. Hell, he was my favorite character.

My most memorable, movie moment of “The Last Song” is when Kinnear’s secret is revealed. Sparks fans won’t be shocked as they know how this writer operates.

So…do I recommend this movie to Sparks fans? Yes, because I know that fans of Nicholas Sparks will want to gobble up anything he writes, even if many say it is a substandard piece of work. Fans will always need to watch for themselves. So, watch “The Last Song,” and see for yourself. Everybody else, there are much better rom-com/dramas out there.

Manny’s Movie Musings: It should be called “Independence Day: Regurgitation.” The same director; the same logical flaws; the same unfunny jokes; the same main actors; the same aliens…I’d be okay with the same of many things except all the logical flaws of the story. Okay, first the plot: it’s been 20 years since the original invasion, and humans have merged alien tech with human tech, and we now have super duper military hardware. People think they have what it takes to defend against another attack, but they are mistaken. From the aliens’ home world comes a ship that is 3,000 miles wide, ready to destroy us pesky humans. But the aliens didn’t count on one thing: a screenplay so full of plot holes that the aliens are sure to be defeated in the most stupid and ridiculous ways. “Independence Day: Resurgence” is just one big shenanigan of a movie. For example: the mother ship, at 3,000 miles wide, has its own gravitational pull. It destroys anything that it flies over…sooooo…why not just do a fly-by over the entire surface of Earth and wipe out the humans? Hey, don’t look at me…ask the 5 screenwriters — which includes the director — whose combined talent (or lack thereof) couldn’t see that most of this movie made no sense. I have to admit though: “ID: R” was somewhat amusing. Not exactly a glowing recommendation for a $165 million dollar project (plus the cost of distribution). My most memorable, movie moment of “ID: R” would be the final seconds of the movie when it is clear Roland Emmerich is thinking about another “ID” movie. If there is anyone deserving of a painful, alien, anal probe, it is Emmerich.